As a source of heat and for aesthetic reasons, fireplaces are frequently incorporated into homes. There are currently several fireplace options available to consumers: traditional fuel (wood or coal)-burning fireplaces, gas-burning fireplaces, and electric fireplaces. Traditional fuel-burning fireplaces generally offer the greatest heat-production and aesthetics, but require more set-up and maintenance time to operate. Gas-burning fireplaces offer a real flame and convenience, but lack the natural sound, flickering, and shadowing associated with traditional fuel-burning fires. Electric fireplaces do not offer a real flame, but have many safety and convenience features.
Many conventional electric fireplaces also lack a visually attractive and realistic flame effect. For example, a conventional electric fireplace does not feature a multi-color light gradient that can be seen in real flames. Natural fires generally include multiple colors, shades, and hues within their flames. Conventional electric fireplaces have not replicated this multi-color gradient in a manner that is visually appealing and realistic.
A need exists for a lighting system that can be used with an electric fireplace and other devices to create a realistic, multi-color simulated flame effect.